The Beginning
by SilverCloud3
Summary: Immediately following the Battle of Hogwarts, this is the beginning and Harry's and Ginny's lives together.


One Shot.

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><p>It was a bright morning in Hogsmeade. Harry was surveying the damage of what happened all throughout the night: The Battle of Hogwarts. He had just left Ron and Hermione outside where he just recently destroyed the Elder Wand before their surprised eyes. But coming inside the castle to survey the damage wasn't his only intention. He was also looking for Ginny.<p>

He hadn't talked to her in almost a year, and there were things that needed to be said. He saw her briefly during the last 24 hours, but there was no time for chit chat. He had absentmindedly walked into the huge mess that was the Great Hall. He had last saw the Weasley's in the Great Hall, so it couldn't hurt to start his search for Ginny there.

The Great Hall was crowded with people, alive and dead. He tried not to look at the dead ones, for Harry had felt way to guilty already. He saw plenty of Weasley's in the room, but none of them were Ginny. He decided to try the Gryffindor Common Room next, and headed for the marble staircase. After climbing six more flights of stairs and walking through many twisted corridors, he finally reached the Fat Lady. He was about to say the password, when he realized he didn't know what it was.

"Don't bother, no one is inside," the Fat Lady warned.

"Thanks," he mumbled turning around and heading away from the Common Room. _Where__else__could__she__be?_ he wondered. He had just been outside, and he saw no one out there besides Ron and Hermione. _She__probably__wants__to__be__alone__right__now,__so__where__could__she__be__hiding?_thought Harry.

Suddenly it came to him. "The place where everything is hidden," he stated out loud.

He smiled and sprinted towards the Room of Requirement. When he got there a few minutes later, he paced the corridor, thinking hard about Ginny. Finally, the door appeared. He reached the handle and took a deep breath before pulling it open. For some reason, he was nervous. There was an eerie silence in that part of the castle. He couldn't hear Ginny inside, just his own pounding heartbeat. Then, slowly, he opened the door.

The Room of Requirement looked just like it had been less than 24 hours ago when Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the castle from a secret passageway that lead to Hogsmeade. It was the room that the D.A. used for all of their meetings, and you couldn't tell that this very same room had been ablaze with fire only hours ago.

Ginny sat on the couch with her back to Harry, facing the lit fireplace. It seemed as though she hadn't heard him enter. He felt bad disturbing her but he needed to talk to her and it couldn't wait. He had waited long enough.

He slowly approached the couch. "Ginny?" he asked in a low voice.

She looked up and when she recognized Harry, she gave him a soft smile. "How'd you find me?"

"Just a hunch. Do you have a minute?" Harry asked quietly.

She nodded. He could see that she had been crying and he didn't blame her. Fred's death was something that he blamed himself for and he would give up everything to bring him back if he could.

He sat down next to her, and she continued to stare at the flames.

"I'm sorry I left you. I did it to protect you," He explained.

"I know. I suppose you want me back now," She said in an indifferent tone.

"If that makes you unhappy, then no I don't want that. I want you to be happy. I care more about you're happiness than I do mine, Gin."

She half smiled. "That's sweet Harry, but you have other things besides me to worry about right now."

"Yes, but you are my top priority now, as of last year. I love you Ginny Weasley, and I just wanted you to know that. That's all." He stared into the fire.

Neither of them spoke for a good minute. Then Ginny said in a small voice, "It's always been you Harry."

"Sorry?"

"It's always been you."

"What exactly do you mean by 'it'?"

Ginny laughed for the first time that day. "You are so thick. I mean that I have always loved you. And there's no way I would be happy being apart from you."

Harry's heart soared. He looked Ginny in the eye and knew that she meant it. She was smiling now and so was he. He placed his right hand on her cheek and felt her soft skin. He leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back and in that moment, he felt pure bliss. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed kissing her and he didn't want it to end.

A few minutes later, Ginny pushed Harry away and broke the kiss. He gave her a confused look.

"I can't go rushing into this right now, given what has just happened to my family," Ginny explained.

Harry looked at the floor, while Ginny kept talking.

"Can we just take it slow for now? And see what happens? I love you Harry, but I need time, and you to do."

He knew in his heart that she was right. Why were women always right?

"You're right, we should take it slow."

Ginny nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

"Babe?"

"I'm just thinking about Fred," she sobbed.

"Come here," he said pulling her towards him and embracing her. They sat like that for a long time, both shedding tears for Fred, Remus, Tonks and many other loved ones.

After a while when their tears had long dried, Harry broke the silence.

"Want to know a secret?" Harry smiled.

Ginny looked skeptical. "Who's it about?"

"Ron."

She grinned. "What is it?"

"He and Hermione..." Harry trailed off, not knowing how to word it.

"No!" Ginny shrieked with disbelief.

"Yeah. Last night they kissed right in front of me and they haven't let go of each other's hands ever since."

"Aw. I've been waiting for that to happen," she said while squeezing him tighter.

He smiled. "I've been expecting it for a while and I thought it would be weird, but it's actually kind of cute."

"Who knew Harry Potter was such a romantic," she teased.

"Shut up," he joked.

The couple sat there, warming themselves in front of fire, not saying anything. Alone with their thoughts, they mourned the lives that were lost that previous night. Harry couldn't also help but wonder what lie ahead in his future, a future he saw with Ginny, and only Ginny.


End file.
